In the bag

I have started another blog which will deal only with all things alpaca related.

What's in the bag

If you'd like to see what it's all about, please click on this link.

Minky - before and after...

...shearing.

This is to remind you of what Minky looked like on the 18th October this year...

Typical little boy - scruffy, dirty and filling
his face

 ... just 4 days before Chris from Helderstroom Alpacas kindly arrived to shear our three alpacas.

Miranda - showing Minky what to expect and
what lies in store for him :)

Minky wasn't mad about the blower which was used to try and get 1) as much of the dust and 2) whatever vegetable matter out of his fur as possible prior to shearing.

Minky getting the blower treatment -NOT a
happy chappy

I don't think the noise of our generator (which powered the blower and shears), nor the noise from the blower helped Minky's state of mind either.  But, the shearing is necessary for his own good during the heat of summer ahead.

And, as for being strapped by his feet and pinned to the floor for the 3/4 hour it took to remove his fibre...

Minky after shearing - he's less than half the size LOL

...he didn't "speak" to RMan until the next day.  But all is forgiven now :) (a bowl of freshly grated carrots helped too.)

Minky's fibre - and this pile is just from his legs!

He doesn't look quite so cute and cuddly anymore, and has instantly "lost" a lot of visible weight, but I do have his fibre as a reminder.  And his fibre will grow back again next year when we will have to start the whole process over again.

Minky, being the scruffy lad he is, has
fleece which is taking me hours (and
days) to pick clean.  Each scrap of
vegetable matter has to be picked by hand

I'm sure he is much more comfortable now and will be better able to handle the summer heat.

I'm using the 1st (unsquare) solar dehydrator frame that I had made as a picking table - a bit
of chicken wire slung over the top allows the
vegetable matter and very short fibre to pass
through and collect at the bottom.

Sitting in the remote room (now know as my craft room) behind the garage, I have started the process of picking each scrap of vegetable matter from the aplaca fibre - MP3 earphones firmly plugged in my ears, a mixture of Josh Groban, Moody Blues, Eric Clapton, Luther van Dross, Nickleback, etc thump out of the earphones and help keep the boredom at bay.  Given my isolation in my craft room, RMan's ears are also spared the tuneless noises eminating from my lips.  (I'm hoping in my next life I come back with a voice that can hold a tune - what a gift that would be!)

I have found an inexpensive second-hand table top weaving loom in Cape Town which my son-in-law will bring back with him next weekend.

Then the fun bit starts... :)  I'm feeling inspired.  And I can't wait.

Over the mountain...

... to Barrydale.

RMan and I went through to Swellendam for our weekly shop yesterday, so that we could toddle over the mountain to Barrydale this morning.  There was a particular place I wanted to visit there.

Actually, it all started two weeks ago when we had the alpaca's sheared - more about the shearing in a later posting.

The result of that shearing was three dustbin bags full of fibre.  When you add that fibre to last years bags that made 6 bags - of saddle (back and sides) fibre. So, no excuses - now it is seriously time to do something with it all :)

Thus - the trip to Barrydale.  I discovered that there is a placce there that weaves by hand, and I was seriously considering weaving the yarn once it has been for processing.

Barrydale Hand Weavers

It was a lovely leasuirely trip through the Tradouws Pass - we spotted a Secretary Bird on our sand road, and a troop of baboons on the pass (pics are on my http://ecofootprintsa.blogspot.com/p/birds-seenalley-in-our-valley page.)

Arriving in Barrydale, we took the right hand turn (towards Oudtshoorn) and the Barrydale Hand Weavers shop is the last one on the left hand side.

The outside verandah was filled with packages of their woven items - they are off to a craft show in Paarl tomorrow.

Entering the shop all you see are looms - and I mean looms everywhere.

Weaving looks so simple...

There must be at least 10 looms - 4 - 5 of which were being operated.

...But I think that is because Janine was doing the
work.  Me - I'm hopeless LOL
(Note the large roll of warp threads on the very
right hand side of the loom beind the "wheel")

Janine, one of the loom operators offered me a go - I leapt at it because I had been researching carders, spinning machines and looms online for the past few weeks.

Ho, boy - am I ever glad that I tried it.  Weaving is not easy - your right hand is constantly busy with the shuttle cord - to them right, then to the left, then to the right... and your right and left legs are both doing their independent thing opening up the two warps, and your left hand has it's own chore too - beating the weave tight after each run.

I managed to create some loose weave (which Janine had to correct LOL) but the exercise taught me that I may just be too old to try and learn something new - at least trying to learn hand weaving LOL

This is the apparatus which they use to spin the
warp for the weaving machine

Barrydale Weavers even spin / prepare their warp threads.  The machine that Janine was using had 67 bats of 12 threads each - that is a seriously fine weave.

What a lovely bunch of friendly, helpful people - from Janine the weaver, to Tivane Mavuma, the gentleman who started the hand weaving business in Swaziland years ago, and finally to Carol - the owner.  No question was too much trouble, everything was clearly explained, and the staff all seemed content with their work.

Temptation abounds in the shop.  I restricted
myself to purchasing a cotton scarf only... :)

We, naturally, visited the shop whilst we were there and left with a beautiful woven cotton scarf - it'll be perfect for keeping the draft off my neck next winter.

A floor loom - too much dexterity and (foot) pressure required - perhaps a rigid table loom would be more appropriate?

So - apart from the table loom, I reckon the next thing I'm going to investigate is felting.  All I will need to buy is a carding machine - to align all the fibres in one direction.  That way I will be able to use every scrap of fibre - even the short hairs from the legs and necks.

RMan and I had a lovely morning - and one befitting celebrating our 34 years. Now, I'm off the get our special dinner of garlic prawns prepped, make a savoury rice, and a large bowl of lemon garlic butter in which to dunk the prawns...

For all homesteaders in the making

If anyone would like a chance to win a book on homesteading, please won't you head over to Leigh's blog, 5 Acres & A Dream.

Reading the reviews on Amazon it appears to be a must-have book, giving Leigh and Dan's nuts and bolts account of their path towards self-sufficiency on their 5 Acre homestead - along with hints and tips and alternatives, and recipes.

I have been following Leigh's blog for a number of years, and her stamina and knowledge is amazing.  She also spins and weaves - one of those hobbies I hope to attempt and master in the not too distant future so that I can process all the alpaca's fleece we gain at shearing time - especially as we will be gaining 50% more since the birth of Miranda's cria last Monday LOL

Amazon has the following summary of her book:

"What does it take to become a successful homesteader?

Based on her popular homesteading blog, 5 Acres & A Dream, Leigh Tate shares how she and her husband Dan are facing the challenges of trying to establish a self-sufficient homestead; from defining their dream, finding property, and setting priorities, to obstacles and difficult times, to learning how to work smarter, not harder. She shares what they've learned about energy self-sufficiency, water self-sufficiency, and food self-sufficiency for themselves and their goats and chickens too. Included are copies of their homestead master plan plus revisions, homegrown vitamins and minerals for goats, and several of Leigh's favorite homestead recipes."

Please - support a fellow blogger and pop over and take a peek at her blog :)

Shorn - part 2

(Someone - I do not know who - pulled the plug on my modem - so I have been "without" internet the entire weekend LOL  Guess that's one way to save some bandwidth...)

En route to Helderstoom Alpacas to get Miranda and Kris sheared RMan and I were filled with trepidation - especially as we had never seen any animal sheared before - and we did not know what to expect with Miranda and Kris. We found the farm without too much of a problem, and unloaded both Kris and Miranda into a holding pen.

We needn't have feared.  The owners and staff were very welcoming, very friendly, and very accomodating of two complete novices.  In no time at all the Helderstroom Alpacas shearing team jumped right into it.  Apparently, the two ladies have won awards for their shearing capabilities.  Just as well we were told that, because there was another alpaca being sheared when we got there - she had given birth to her cria two weeks previously.  As they were shearing her stomach area, she got cut - apparently it is uncommon to shear alpacas so soon after birthing, exactly because that can happen.  The stomach skin is loose and gets caught by the shears.  Shame - she had to go to the vet for 2 - 3 stitches before they could compelte the shearing.

It also caused us to step back - and hope that all went smoothly with our two...

Chris was chosen to go first and it took 5 of them to get Kris onto his knees.

Awww - look at that cute haltered head sticking
out - it's only his third shearing ever...

 Once they had him down, they had to secure his front and back legs...

Securing the front legs...

 ... and protect his private parts.  Alpaca's can kick - and kick hard.  Be aware of that and never stand too close to an alpaca - whether it is on it's feet, or whether it is lying down on it's side.

Then the back legs were secured.  Notice how
they cover his pirvate parts - modesty rules ;)

They proceed with the shearing by removing the longer stomach hair - that is not kept for spinning / felting, and is discarded.

The stomach fleece was first, and Alison, the
farm owner put that hair in the rubbish bag

Then they started on the side fleece

I wish that pictures could share sound and not just visuals.  Kris was making this high pitched squeal - especially when they sheared the fleece on his legs. Someone commented that apparently it is ticklish - bless him.  Must've felt like a medieval torture especially as each alpaca took approximately 45 mintutes to shear.

It looks cruel, doensn't it, but the restraints aren't
hard - they use the same cord as is used in
bungy jumps

 It was so ticklish that he managed to get his hind legs out of the restraints.

Holding his feet to ensure that he can't
escape the restraints again

 Then, the side and back hair was attacked.

Wow - that is thick.  He must've taken strain on
those hot days that we had in the preceeding
three weeks

Kris' hair was 145mm long - apparently that is l-o-n-g :)  We asked why he is classified as light fawn, because his fleece looks white.  Ah, all was revealed...

145mm thick!

 ... the fleece on his back is definitely fawn coloured beneath that mass of coat.

Here Kris is lying on his stomach - now he can see
what is happening - but that didn't make him any
quieter...!  Typical male LOL

Happy, Kris was not - definitely not while it was happening.

Almost finished Kris

 And, especially not when they sheared his legs...!

Miranda chatting to a buddy.
That has given me an idea - I'm going
to securely attach a mirror to her stable
wall - perhaps that will encourage her to :
a) not be so lonely for another female
b) enter the stable more eagerly

Whilst they were finishing off Kris, I went to check on Miranda in the  holding pen - and found her humming to "another" alpaca she had spied.  Damn - we have got to try and get her a female companion - I think she is pining for another female big time!

Miranda - getting the brush and
leaf blowing session

She got a good brush down by the experts, and then had a leaf blowing session to remove the last of the debris in her coat.  Any debris in the coat causes the blades to go blunt, and at over R1000.00 / blade, it's definitely worthwhile giving that little bit of extra attention prior to the shearing.

She seemed less of a hassle to get down on the
ground - perhaps as it is her 7th shearing she knows
what is in store...?

Miranda's fleece was only 50mm long - and much less of it that Kris.

They really stretch them out don't they - but
they have to, in order to retrain those legs...

She doesn't look so comfortable, does she?  I can't imagine that it is all that pleasant, especially with a cria inside her stomach.

A flip over and then it's the turn of the other side

Then it was time to turn her over, and do the other side.

Kris, in the meantime, was in the stall next to her.  He could hear her but he couldn't ssee her...

His High and Mightyness in all his shorn glory.
Seeing how small he is has also helped RMan and
I - he is not such a strong, powerful nor
intimidating creature without all that fleece :) 

 ... so he went looking.  And found her over the interleading gate.

"Hey - where's my buddy...?"
They leave the bonnet in place - I think it's to
help with the flies, but Alpaca's are also very
sensitive in the neck / head area, and the fleece
on top of the head is minimal.  So - the bonnet
remains :)

Thankfully, both of them were sheared with no harm befalling them.

Putting them in the horsebox to take them home, they certainly took up far less space - in fact, they looked lost in that immense cavity.

Before - a much more intimidaing
looking alpaca.

Afterwards - hmmm, we've got
your measure now Kris :)

There is not much visible difference in Miranda, but Kris - he's a different kettle of fish.  He's actually quite whimp-ish looking.  RMan said he looks like a lollipop - with his bonnet in place, and those scrawny little legs and body.
Yes, he still has a powerful kick, but his bulk is far less intimidating!